A Wisconsin folklorist named Robert Gard once stated that Wisconsin may have
more ghosts per square mile than any other state in America. I have no idea if this is
actually true, but one thing is certain... it certainly does have a lot and many more than
we could possibly include here!
There is certainly no place that is quite like the state of Wisconsin with its
peaceful lakes, serene forests and miles of beautiful wilderness. But what lurks beneath
the surface of this tranquil place? Ghosts and ghouls? Perhaps.... because we have to
remember that that for every tale of colorful folklore is a story like that of Ed Gein.Wisconsin.... a strange and haunted place.

Click on the Highlighted
Locations to Learn More about Each Site!

Of all of the ghost stories and haunted houses in the
state of Wisconsin, my favorite story is (by far) the tale connected
to the old house known as Summerwind.
For many years, it was regarded as the most haunted house
in the state. And while it is nothing but ruins today, its legend
continues on. Click on the link above for the story of this
mysterious house and for exclusive photos!

Another location that is steeped in legend is

Kemper
Hall, a former
seminary and school in Kenosha. Rumored to be haunted by spectral
nuns, the old building has a long reputation for ghosts!

One college that has its own sort of "School
Spirit" is
Marquette University in Milwaukee. A number of buildings connected
to the school are allegedly haunted and a number of spirits make their home
here, including the infamous "Whispering Willie".

The city of La Crosse boasts a number of haunted spots. One
of them is theBodega Brew Pub, which
was formerly the Union Saloon. According to the stories, the ghost here is
that of a former pool hall owner that was also located on the premises.
After the owner, Paul Malin, died in 1901, his ghost began to regularly
appear to the new owners. No one knew why the building changed hands so many
times in the years after Malin's death, until 1907, when owner A.J.
"Skimmer" Hines, confided to his friends that he was selling the
place because of the ghost. The building still exists at 120 South 4th
Street today, but the current status of the haunting is unknown.Another haunted spot is a private residence that is known as the
Old
Holmbo Residence. This house became haunted after the owner,
Nicolai Holmbo, committed suicide in 1904 by hanging himself in the front
room. The house sat deserted for many years afterwards... except for
Holmbo's ghost. On many evenings, neighbors reported seeing lights inside of
the empty house and the police were summoned many times concerning
complaints of mournful cries and apparitions sightings. No one was ever
found inside of the house.

Mineral Point has been plagued with weird activity for
years. Not only was it the scene of the Mineral
Point Vampiresightings in 1981, but it was also the area around
where the Ridgeway Phantom was reported
in the late 1800's. The phantom was named for the small crossroads town of
Ridgeway and took many forms, frightening travelers as a headless man, an
old woman, a ball of light and a number of spectral animals. The phantom
appeared from nowhere and attacked passersby, until it came to the point
that no one would travel the Ridge Road between Mineral Point and Blue
Mounds alone... or unarmed. The origins of the ghost were traced back to
1840 when two young men were murdered at McKillip's Saloon in Ridgeway. A
group of local toughs burned one boy to death in the fireplace and the other
froze to death while trying to escape from town. Some believe that the
Ridgeway Phantom departed when the town burned down in 1910... but others
believe the spirit is still out there, lurking in the woods near Mineral
Point!Mineral Point is also the home of the The
Walker House, a legendary inn that has been reportedly
haunted since the 1840's. Over the years, staff members and customers have
claimed a number of bizarre encounters.

And while vampires in
Mineral Point are one thing -- what about a werewolf in the southeastern
part of the state? Since the early 1990's, residents have been talking about
the mysterious Bray
Road Beast but there have been other Wisconsin werewolves as well!
See the link above for the story of the Beast on Bray Road and then click
here for accounts
of other Wisconsin werewolves.

Near the vacation spot of the Wisconsin Dells was once an
old tavern calledThe Dell
House. Even though the building burned down
many years ago, some believe that the ghosts here still linger!

Located near Duluth, Minnesota is the Wisconsin town of
Superior and of all of the reported hauntings here, there are none as famous
as the spirit who are believed to linger in the Fairlawn
Mansion. Follow the link to find about
more about this place!

The Old
Sherman House Restaurant was once located in
Plover... until the ghosts drove the owners out of business. The restaurant
had been built on the site of an old cottage that once boasted more than its
share of strange phenomena.

The city of Oshkosh boasts at least two haunted spots. One
of them is one of the most famous haunted places in the state of
Wisconsin. The Grand
Opera House has been a ghostly landmark in the
city for years and many stories have been told about strange happenings and
about the ghost of the former stage manager, Percy Keene. In addition, you are also apt to find ghosts at the
Paine
Art Center,a Tudor style mansion that was built in the 1930's.
Furniture has been moved around and footsteps and strange moaning sounds
have been heard. The ghost is believed to be the spirit of Edward or George
Paine, the grandfather and father of Nathan Paine, the lumber king who began
constructing the house in 1927.

The city of Madison also has its ghosts. A strange,
glowing ghost was reportedly terrifying the prisoners in the Madison
Jail in 1873. The sightings began with a bright light that filled
the cells, followed by a wailing apparition that frightened the inmates.
While believed to be the ghost of some long dead prisoner, the specter
was only seen for a short time and then vanished. The jail has long
since been replaced and a bank
now stands at that location.

Also in Madison is the Muskie Lounge and Crab House(6312
Metropolitan Lane - Monona ) This lovely suburb of Madison is home to
this locale of culinary delight. But to many of those employed there and to
many patrons of this restaurant, over the years, this place is quite
haunted. When this restaurant opened it's doors, many years ago as the
Four Lakes Yacht Club; it quickly rose to popularity with area boaters due
to it's docking space on one side of the building. One Friday evening,
a waitress, known simply as Marlene, one of it's original waitstaff,
suffered a heart attack. Later that night, she died in a Madison hospital.
It wasn't long after, employees began to sense a presence. It was quietly
talked about amongst employees of the "Yacht Club". Employees and patrons
alike, were privy to a tap on the shoulder while alone on the back stairs.
But in "Jingle's On-The-River", a later incarnation of this restaurant, the
haunting was discussed freely and openly. Often employees, there to
open the restaurant, would find place settings done and seating arranged
differently than it was the previous night.

In 1994, before "the Muskie" opened it's doors, the present owner and his
partner were in the building alone one evening. At one point, they both
heard someone, right next to them, laughing, twenty minutes later, it
happened again. Remodeling was frequently interrupted by unusual power
failures and tools and materials mysteriously disappearing. Presently,
Marlene makes her opinion known on menu changes by tossing pots and
pans when the restaurant is empty. Marlene also "voices" her approval on the
various bands that play at the bar. If she likes them, she helps them out by
unpacking the band's equipment.

The Bar Next Door:(232 East Olin Ave
-Madison ) "Many of you will remember this bar as the Wonder Bar, a reputed
Chicago Mob hang-out during Prohibition days."....from
Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club webpage...
Undoubtedly, this building was meant for more than housing a bar. With it's
turreted roof and it's hidden compartments under the windowsill, just the
right size to hold a Thompson submachine gun, it becomes obvious this place
is meant to be a fortress. Roger "The Terrible" Touhey, leader of Chicago's
"other" Irish gang based in Des Plaines, Illinois, built this place as a
distribution point to supply illegal alcohol in the Madison area and north.
We can only speculate if Roger ever actually visited the place but it is
clear that his presence was felt, even in his absence.

This building also harbors a legendary dark secret. Purportedly, there's
a body buried behind the fireplace, in the second floor banquet room. One
story claims, these are the bones of one of the Touhey brothers, killed in a
shootout. Another makes them to be that of some poor soul that crossed
the Touhey brothers in their shady business dealings. Employees, as
well as customer alike have told of cigar boxes moving around the display
box, as if, moved by phantom hands. The present-day manager of this
historical building has heard footsteps descending the staircase, late at
night, after bar hours.

Near Madison is Spring Green, home to famous architect
Frank
Lloyd Wright's Taliesin This wonderful summer
estate served as Wright's studio but his time here was marked by a terrible
tragedy that has left lingering spirits behind!

Located in Evansville was the East Side Steak House, now
called The
Evansville House. For years, this place was
said to be quite haunted and while the current status of the haunting is
unknown, the stories of the past still continue to be told!

Milwaukee was the site of the famous
Giddings
Poltergeist Case back in 1874. At that time, the Giddings
Boardinghouse became infested with strange activity. It all began in August
of that year when Mrs. William Giddings and her servant, Mary Speigel, were
baking pies in the kitchen. According to reports, the trapdoor to the cellar
opened by itself, dishes and silverware flew around the room, chairs and
food hovered in the air and a terrible racket filled the house. The two
women summoned some neighbors and they were startled when logs and water
pails flew at them! People came from all over to witness the activity and
two sharp newspaper reporters noticed that the happenings only occurred when
Mary was present. With that, Mrs. Giddings fired the girl and she was
severely beaten by her father. The next day, Mary attempted suicide by
jumping in the river but she was rescued. Finally, a prominent Chicago
doctor took her case and he discovered that Mary suffered from sleepwalking
and was "neurotic". It seemed that whenever he took her to the
Giddings home, objects would begin to levitate in the air. Eventually, Mary
was taken in by a physician and his family and the activity came to a halt.
Psychical investigator Herbert Thurston called the story a "remarkable
American case". The house is now a private residence on Allis Street.

Two other haunted locations in Milwaukee are both public spots. One of them
is the Modjeska Theater, a once historic
site that became a discount movie house. The resident specter here has been
dubbed the "Balcony Ghost" because he has a habit of looking down
on the audience from the balcony during movies.

Another location is thePfister Hotel,
where the ghost of founder Charles Pfister reportedly greets guests and has
returned to make sure that they are well taken care of. He has been spotted
looking over the lobby from a spot on the grand staircase and has also been
seen walking in the gallery above the ballroom. Witnesses identify him from
a portrait of him that hangs in the lobby.

A house at the St. John's Military Academy in Delafield is
haunted by the presence of a house that once stood on the grounds. The house
that now stands is called Rosslyne
Manseand it was once the home of Dr.
Sidney Thomas Smythe, one of the presidents of the military academy. He
constructed his mansion on the site of a home that belonged to a man who
perished from tuberculosis... and apparently never left.

Largely settled by Norwegians around 1870, the town of
Amery is home to a hauntedLutheran
Church that many parishioners believe is
haunted. Follow the link to find out more about the ghostly voices that have
been experienced here.

In addition to ghosts, Wisconsin has seen its share of
strangeness too. One of the most bizarre murderers in American history made
his home in Plainfield. His name was Ed Gein and you may have seenhim
mentioned in the
introduction to this page. His gruesome crimes were so horrific that they
spawned both books and films like "Silence of the Lambs" and
"Psycho". Follow this link to read the article on Wisconsin's "Psycho" Ed
Gein.